Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device has the steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate having a structure in which first and second active regions are isolated by a field oxide; forming a first insulation film and a first film on the semiconductor substrate; exposing the first active region in the first active region; forming a second insulation film and a first conductive film over the first active region, the second insulation film being thicker than the first insulation film; processing the first conductive film and the second insulation film into a first gate electrode and a first gate insulation film; exposing the second active region in the second active region; forming a third insulation film and a second conductive film on the over the second active region, the third insulation film being thinner than the second insulation film; and processing the second conductive film and the third insulation film into a second gate electrode and a second gate insulation film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which in particular has multiple semiconductor elements with gate insulation films with different thicknesses formed on the same semiconductor substrate.

2. Background Information

Generally, with respect to semiconductor devices, miniaturization and high integration is expected. Presently, in order to achieve such miniaturization and high integration of a semiconductor device, an element isolating process in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device applies more of an STI (shallow trench isolation) method than the generally used LOCOS (local oxidation silicon) method. Furthermore, also for the purpose of miniaturization and high integration of a semiconductor device, a gate oxide (also called a gate insulation film) in a semiconductor element is made to become thinner. As the gate oxide becomes thinner, a power source voltage required becomes lower.

Although the reduction in voltage is accompanied by the miniaturization and high integration of semiconductor devices, semiconductor elements (also known as liquid crystal drivers) that are used to drive a liquid crystal display etc. must adopt a structure in which a conventional high power source voltage and a conventional low power source voltage are used in combination.

However, while a MOS transistor for low voltage (hereinafter to be referred to as low voltage MOS transistor), which is one of the semiconductor elements constructing the liquid crystal driver, needs a thin gate oxide, a MOS transistor for high voltage (hereinafter to be referred to as high voltage MOS transistor), which is another semiconductor element constructing the liquid crystal driver, needs a comparatively thick gate oxide which is about 40 nm.

Examples of a method of forming gate oxides with different thicknesses on the same semiconductor substrate are exhibited in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-150665 (hereinafter to be referred to as a patent reference 1), Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-200836 (hereinafter to be referred to as a patent reference 2) and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-246480 (hereinafter to be referred to as a patent reference 3), for instance. In these conventional methods, mainly, a field oxide (also called an element isolating insulation film) is formed by the LOCOS method, after which a heat oxidation treatment is conducted on the entire surface thereof to form a thick gate oxide for a high voltage MOS transistor. Then, a region in which a high voltage MOS transistor is to be formed is covered with a resist, and while using this resist as a mask, the thick gate oxide in a region in which a low voltage MOS transistor is to be formed is removed by wet etching. Then, the resist used as the mask is removed, and a thin gate oxide for a low voltage MOS transistor is formed.

In case of forming gate oxides with different thicknesses on the same semiconductor substrate according to the above-described conventional methods, it is necessary to have a process of removing the thick gate oxide in the region where the low voltage MOS transistor is to be formed, using hydrofluoric acid (HF). However, having the process of removing such thick gate oxide may cause a problem in which the upper part of the field oxide might be etched of as well.

Particularly, in case of forming the field oxide by the STI method and forming the gate oxide by the heat oxidation treatment as above, the etching rate of the embedded oxidation film (i.e. the field oxide) by the hydrofluoric acid will exceed the etching rate of the oxidation film (i.e. the gate oxide), and the upper part of the field oxide will be removed to a significant degree.

As a result, the upper surface of a field region (also called an element isolating region) where the field oxide is formed becomes lower than the upper surface of an active region (also called an element forming region) of the semiconductor substrate.

Under such circumstances, a step may be formed between the active region and the field region, and in the later process when a gate electrode is patterned, a resist used in a photolithographic process is pooled in this step, which can cause a problem in which the gate electrode cannot be patterned normally.

Furthermore, due to this step formed between the active region and the field region, a part of the semiconductor substrate will be exposed, which can cause problems such a hump phenomenon etc. that deteriorates element characteristics, deterioration in the reliability of the gate insulation film, and so forth.

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to resolve the above-described problems, and to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which is capable of preventing any step from being formed between an active region and a field region.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, has the steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate having a structure in which first and second active regions are isolated by an element isolating insulation film; forming a first insulation film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a first film on the first insulation film; exposing the first active region by etching the first insulation film and the first film over the first active region; forming a second insulation film which is thicker than the first insulation film on the exposed first active region; forming a first conductive film on the second insulation film; forming a first gate electrode and a first gate insulation film over the first active region by processing the first conductive film and the second insulation film; exposing the second active region by etching the first insulation film and the first film over the second active region; forming a third insulation film which is thinner than the second insulation film on the exposed second active region; forming a second conductive film on the third insulation film; and forming a second gate electrode and a second gate insulation film over the second active region by processing the second conductive film and the third insulation film.

These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a structure of a semiconductor device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to a manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Embodiment

One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Structure

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a semiconductor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the following description will be based on a sectional structure of the semiconductor device 1, which includes a line connecting a low voltage MOS transistor (also called a low withstand voltage MOS transistor) and a high voltage MOS transistor (also called a high withstand voltage MOS transistor) and which is vertical with a semiconductor substrate 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor device 1 has a structure in which active regions AR (also called element forming regions) and field regions FR (also called element isolating regions) are defined by having field oxides 12 (also called element isolating insulation films) formed in the semiconductor substrate 11.

In the semiconductor substrate 11, on each active region AR in a region 1A (hereinafter to be referred to as a high voltage MOS transistor region 1A) where the high voltage MOS transistor is to be formed, a gate oxide 17 a having a first film thickness is formed. On this insulation film 17 a, a gate electrode 19 a is formed. The surfaces of the gate oxide 17 a and the gate electrode 19 a are covered with a protective film 18 a having an aperture that exposes at least a part of the upper surface of the gate electrode 19 a. On the sides of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a, sidewall spacers 20 a are formed. The protective film 18 a is sandwiched between the sidewall spacer 20 a and the gate electrode 19 a. In addition, the active region AR has a pair of source/drain regions 14 a sandwiching a region where a channel is to be formed.

In this way, the high withstand MOS transistor according to this embodiment has the gate oxide 17 a having the first film thickness formed in the active region AR of the semiconductor substrate 11, the gate electrode 19 a formed on the gate oxide 17 a, the sidewall spacers 20 a formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a, the protective film 18 a covering the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a and sandwiched between the gate electrode 19 a and the sidewall spacer 20 a, and the pair of source/drain regions 14 a formed in the active region AR.

On the other hand, on each active region AR in a region 1B (hereinafter to be referred to as a low voltage MOS transistor region 1B) where the low voltage MOS transistor is to be formed, a gate oxide 17 b having a second film thickness is formed. The gate oxide 17 b having the second film thickness is thinner than the gate oxide 17 a having the first film thickness. On this insulation film 17 b, a gate electrode 19 b is formed. On the sides of the gate electrode 19 b and the gate oxide 17 b, sidewall spacers 20 b are formed. In addition, the active region AR has a pair of source/drain regions 14 b sandwiching a region where a channel is to be formed.

In this way, the low withstand MOS transistor according to this embodiment has the gate oxide 17 b having the second film thickness which is thinner than the first film thickness formed in the active region AR of the semiconductor substrate 11, the gate electrode 19 b formed on the gate oxide 17 b, the sidewall spacers 20 b formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 b and the gate oxide 17 b, and the pair of source/drain regions 14 b formed in the active region AR.

In the above structure, the semiconductor substrate 11 can be a p-type silicon substrate for instance. As described above, on the semiconductor substrate 11, the field oxides 12 are formed. In this embodiment, the field oxides 12 are considered to be formed by the STI method. However, the method of forming the field oxides 12 is not limited to the STI method but may also be the LOCOS method.

As for the gate oxide 17 a formed on the active region AR in the high withstand MOS transistor region 1A, a silicon oxide film (SiO_(x) film) can be applied for instance. The gate oxide 17 a should have a thickness (i.e. the first thickness) which is sufficient to not to be damaged by an operating voltage, and such thickness may be around 40 nm (nanometer) for instance.

As described above, the gate electrode 19 a is formed on the gate oxide 17 a. This gate electrode 19 a may be a polysilicon film in which predetermined impurities are doped for instance. The gate electrode 19 a may be 300 nm thick for instance.

The protective film 18 a covering the gate oxide 17 a and the gate electrode 19 a serves as a mask for protecting the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a at the time when a silicon nitride film 15 a (q.v. FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C) in the later process of this manufacturing method is etched. Accordingly, the protective film 18 a should be made of a material such as silicon oxide (SiO_(x)), which is an insulating material and a material that can be etched selectively with respect to the silicon nitride film 15 a. The protective film 18 a should be thick enough to protect the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a in the etching process, and it may be about 10 to 20 nm thick for instance.

Each of the sidewall spacers 20 a formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a while having the protective film 18 a between itself and the sides of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a defines a distance between the source/drain region 14 a and the gate electrode 19 a. The sidewall spacers 20 a can be silicon oxide films or silicon nitride films for instance. Here, a width of the sidewall spacer 20 a (hereinafter to be referred to as a sidewall spacer width) depends on a driving voltage, but it may be 450 nm for instance.

The source/drain regions 14 a formed in the active region AR in the high voltage MOS transistor regions 1A are regions where certain impurities having a predetermined conductivity are doped in high concentration as compared to a well region (not shown). These source/drain regions 14 a are formed by implanting predetermined impurities into the active region AR in the semiconductor substrate 11 while using the gate electrode 19 a and the sidewall spacers 20 a as masks. In case of manufacturing an n-type MOS transistor for instance, the source/drain regions 14 a should be regions in which n-type impurities are implanted. Here, the n-type impurities may be n-type ions such as arsenic ions (As⁺) for instance, and a dose amount thereof may be around 6.0×10¹⁵/cm². On the other hand, in case of manufacturing a p-type MOS transistor for instance, the source/drain regions 14 a should be regions in which p-type impurities are implanted. Here, the p-type impurities may be p-type ions such as boron ions (B⁺) for instance, and a dose amount thereof may be around 5.0×10¹⁵/cm².

As for the gate oxide 17 b formed on the active region AR in the low withstand MOS transistor region 1B, as with the gate oxide 17 a, a silicon oxide film (SiO_(x) film) can be applied for instance. A thickness of the gate oxide 17 b (i.e. the second thickness) can be decided depending on an operating voltage and performance expected from the low voltage MOS transistor, and it may be set to around 7 nm for instance.

As described above, the gate electrode 19 b is formed on the gate oxide 17 b. As with the gate electrode 19 a, this gate electrode 19 b may be a polysilicon film which includes predetermined impurities for instance. A thickness of the gate electrode 19 b is different from the first thickness of the gate electrode 19 a in the high voltage MOS transistor, and it may be set to 250 nm for instance.

Each of the sidewall spacers 20 b formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 b and the gate oxide 17 b defines a distance between the source/drain region 14 b and the gate electrode 19 b. The sidewall spacers 20 can be silicon oxide films or silicon nitride films for instance. Here, a width of the sidewall spacer 20 b (i.e. a sidewall spacer width) is different from the sidewall spacer width of the sidewall spacer 20 a in the high voltage MOS transistor, and it may be 100 nm for instance.

The source/drain regions 14 b formed in the active region AR in the low voltage MOS transistor regions 1B are regions where certain impurities having a predetermined conductivity are doped in high concentration as compared to a well region (not shown). These source/drain regions 14 b are formed by implanting predetermined impurities into the active region AR in the semiconductor substrate 11 while using the gate electrode 19 b and the sidewall spacers 20 b as masks. In case of manufacturing an n-type MOS transistor for instance, the source/drain regions 14 b should be regions in which n-type impurities are implanted. Here, the n-type impurities may be n-type ions such as arsenic ions (As⁺) for instance, and a dose amount thereof may be around 6.0×10¹⁵/cm². On the other hand, in case of manufacturing a p-type MOS transistor for instance, the source/drain regions 14 b should be regions in which p-type impurities are implanted. Here, the p-type impurities may be p-type ions such as boron ions (B⁺) for instance, and a dose amount thereof may be around 5.0×10¹⁵/cm².

The high voltage MOS transistor and the low voltage MOS transistor each having the above described structure are covered with an interlayer insulation film 27. As for this interlayer insulation film 27, a silicon oxide film (SiO_(x) film) can be applied for instance, and it may be about 1200 nm thick for instance.

In the interlayer insulation film 27, contact holes are formed to expose the upper parts of the gate electrodes 19 a and 19 b. Then by filling up these contact holes with metals such as tungsten (W), contact plugs 28 are formed. In addition, on the interlayer insulation film 27, metal wirings 29 are formed for the purpose of obtaining electrical conduction with other elements and wiring patterns. The gate electrodes 19 a and 19 b are electrically connected with the metal wirings 29 via the contact plugs 28, respectively.

Manufacturing Method

Now, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2A to FIG. 7C are diagrams showing processes of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to this embodiment of the present invention.

In this manufacturing method, first, a semiconductor substrate 11 which is a p-type silicon substrate is prepared, and then field oxides 12 are formed using the STI method for instance. By this process, as shown in FIG. 2A, active regions AR and field regions FR in a high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A and a low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B are defined.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, a silicon oxide film (SiO_(x)) 13 which is a first insulation film having a thickness of about 10 nm, for instance, is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 11, the surface having the field oxides 12. This silicon oxide film 13 functions as a buffer film in an etching process to be described later on. Therefore, it is preferable that the silicon oxide film 13 is sufficiently thicker than the first thickness of the gate oxide 17 a. By this arrangement, processing a thick film as the gate oxide 17 a (i.e. the silicon oxide 17A) directly on the semiconductor substrate 11 becomes unnecessary. The silicon oxide film (SiO_(x)) can be formed by a thermal oxidation treatment. In this thermal oxidation treatment, the semiconductor substrate 11 is heated at 850° C. for 20 minutes in the presence of oxygen, for instance.

Next, using a known CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, a silicon nitride film (SiN) 15 which is a first film having a thickness of about 20 nm is formed. Then, using a known CVD method, a silicon oxide film 16 which is a second film having a thickness of 10 to 20 nm is formed on the silicon nitride film 15. By these processes, a structure as represented by a cross section structure shown in FIG. 2C can be obtained. In addition, the above silicon nitride film 15 is processed into a silicon nitride film 15 a having a predetermined shape in the later process, and the processed silicon nitride film 15 a is used as a protective film (i.e. a mask) for preventing the buffer film 13 in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B from being etched when the buffer film 13 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is removed. Furthermore, the processed silicon nitride film 15 a having the predetermined shape is used as a protective film (i.e. a mask) for preventing the semiconductor substrate 11 in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B from being oxidized when a silicon oxide film 17A which will be processed into the gate oxide 17 a is formed on the semiconductor substrate 11 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A. On the other hand, the silicon oxide film 16 is processed into a silicon nitride film 16 a having a predetermined shape in the later process, and the processed silicon oxide film 16 a is used as a protective film (i.e. a mask) for processing the silicon nitride film 15 which lies under the silicon oxide film 16 a into the silicon nitride film 15 a having the predetermined shape.

Next, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the formed silicon oxide film 16, a photo-resist R1 is formed in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B. Then, using a known RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) method for instance, the silicon oxide film 16 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is removed while using the photo-resist R1 as a mask. By these processes, as shown in FIG. 3A, the silicon nitride film 15 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is exposed while the silicon oxide film 16 a remains in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B.

Next, the photo-resist R1 is removed, after which the silicon nitride film 15 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is removed while using the silicon oxide film 16 a remaining in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B as a mask. By this process, as shown in FIG. 3B, the silicon oxide film 13 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is exposed while the silicon nitride film 15 a remains only in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B. Here, in order to remove only the exposed silicon nitride film 15 while preventing the semiconductor substrate 11 from being damaged, it is preferable to use a wet etching method for etching the silicon nitride film 15. In this wet etching process, for instance, a thermal phosphoric acid liquid of approximately 86% concentration at a temperature of around 160° C. is used. Such wet etching using the thermal phosphoric acid liquid can selectively remove a silicon nitride film with respect to a silicon oxide film. In other words, under the predetermined conditions including the usage of the thermal phosphoric acid liquid, becomes an etching rate of the silicon nitride film is sufficiently larger than an etching rate of the silicon oxide film, it is possible to substantially etch only the silicon nitride film.

Next, the silicon oxide film 13 exposed in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A and the silicon oxide film 16 a remaining in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor 1B are removed. At this time, since the silicon nitride film 15 a is functioning as a mask, a silicon oxide film 13 a remains in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B. By these processes, as shown in FIG. 3C, the semiconductor substrate 11 and the field oxides 12 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A are exposed while the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is covered by the silicon oxide film 13 a. Here, in order to remove only the exposed silicon oxide film 13 while preventing the semiconductor substrate 11 from being damaged, it is preferable to use a wet etching method for etching the silicon oxide film 13. In this wet etching process, for instance, a hydrofluoric acid liquid of approximately 5% concentration is used. Such wet etching using the hydrofluoric acid liquid can selectively remove a silicon oxide film with respect to a silicon nitride film. In other words, under the predetermined conditions including the usage of the hydrofluoric acid liquid, an etching rate of the silicon oxide film will be sufficiently larger than an etching rate of the silicon nitride film, and it will be possible to substantially etch only the silicon oxide film.

Next, by conducting a thermal oxidation treatment on the exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A, as shown in FIG. 4A, a silicon oxide film 17A which is a second insulation film having the first thickness, for instance, is formed in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A. At this time, since the silicon nitride film 15 a is functioning as a mask for the thermal oxidation treatment, the silicon oxide film 17A is formed only in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A. Here, as described above, the first thickness is the same as the thickness of the gate oxide 17 a for the high withstand voltage MOS transistor. The silicon oxide film 17A is an unprocessed film of the gate oxide 17 a. The thickness of the silicon oxide film 17A (i.e. the first thickness) may be around 40 nm for instance. In this thermal oxidation treatment, the semiconductor substrate 11 is heated at 850° C. for 40 minutes in the presence of oxygen, for instance.

Next, using a known CVD method for instance, a polysilicon film 19A which is a first conductive film including predetermined impurities is formed over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 where the silicon oxide film 17A is formed. The polysilicon film 19A is formed to the thickness of around 300 nm for instance. Then, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the formed polysilicon film 19A, a photo-resist R2 having the same top face shape as the gate electrode 19 a is formed on the polysilicon film 19A as shown in FIG. 4B.

Next, using a known RIE method for instance, the polysilicon film 19A is etched while using the photo-resist R2 as a mask. By this process, as shown in FIG. 4C, the gate electrode 19 a including the predetermined impurities is formed in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A, and the silicon oxide film 17A under the gate electrode 19 a is processed into the gate oxide 17 a.

Next, using a known CVD method for instance, a silicon oxide film 18 having a thickness of around 10 nm is formed over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 where the gate oxide 17 a and the gate electrode 19 a are formed in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A as shown in FIG. 5A. This silicon oxide film 18 is an unprocessed film of the above protective film 18 a.

Next, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the formed silicon oxide film 18, a photo-resist R3 covering the silicon oxide film 18 in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is formed, the silicon oxide film 18 being a fourth insulation film for protecting the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a from being etched. Then, using a known RIE method for instance, the silicon oxide film 18 in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is removed while using the photo-resist R3 as a mask. By these processes, as shown in FIG. 5B, a protective film 18 a for protecting the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a is formed in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A while the silicon nitride film 15 a in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is exposed.

Next, the photo-resist R3 is removed, after which the silicon nitride film 15 a remaining in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is removed. By this process, as shown in FIG. 5C, the silicon oxide film 13 a in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is exposed. Here, in order to remove only the silicon nitride film 15 a while preventing the semiconductor substrate 11 form being damaged, it is preferable to use the same wet etching method as in the etching process of the silicon nitride film 15 shown in FIG. 3B.

Next, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 where the protective film 18 a and the silicon oxide film 13 a are exposed, a photo-resist R4 covering the silicon oxide film 18 a in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is formed, the silicon oxide film 18 a being a film for protecting the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a from being etched. Then, the silicon oxide film 13 a remaining in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is removed while using the photo-resist R4 as a mask. By this process, as shown in FIG. 6A, the semiconductor substrate 11 in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B is exposed. Here, in order to remove only the silicon oxide film 13 a while preventing the semiconductor substrate 11 form being damaged, it is preferable to use the same wet etching method as in the etching process of the silicon oxide film 13 shown in FIG. 3C

Next, the photo-resist R4 covering the protective film 18 a in the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A is removed. Then, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 in the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B, as shown in FIG. 6B, a silicon oxide film 17B which is a third insulation film having a second thickness, for instance, is formed on the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B. Here, as described above, the second thickness is the same as the thickness of the gate oxide 17 b for the low withstand voltage MOS transistor and it is thinner than the first thickness. In addition, because the second thickness is thinner than the silicon oxide film 18 a which is the protective film, it is possible to reduce possible damage to the gate electrode 19 a and the semiconductor substrate 11 when forming the silicon oxide film 17B. The second thickness may be around 7 nm for instance.

Next, using a known CVD method for instance, a polysilicon film 19B which is a second conductive film including predetermined impurities is formed over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 where the silicon oxide film 17B is formed. The polysilicon film 19B is formed to a thickness of around 250 nm for instance. Next, by conducting a known photolithographic process on the formed polysilicon film 19B, a photo-resist R5 having the same top face shape as the gate electrode 19 b is formed on the polysilicon film 19B as shown in FIG. 6C.

Next, using a known RIE method for instance, the polysilicon film 19B is etched while using the photo-resist R5 as a mask. By this process, as shown in FIG. 7A, the gate electrode 19 b including the predetermined impurities is formed on the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B and the silicon oxide film 17B under the gate electrode 19 b is processed into the gate oxide 17 b.

Next, using a known CVD method for instance, a silicon nitride film 20 having a thickness of around 100 nm is formed over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 where the gate oxides 17 a and 17 b and the gate electrodes 19 a and 19 b are formed, as shown in FIG. 7B.

Next, the silicon nitride film 20 is etched by using an anisotropic etching method for instance. By these processes, as shown in FIG. 7C, sidewall spacers 20 a, which are insulation films sandwiching the protective film 18 a between themselves and the gate electrode 19 a and gate oxide 17 a, respectively, are formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 7C, sidewall spacers 20 b, which are insulation films, are formed on the sides of the gate electrode 19 b and the gate oxide 17 b. Here, since the height of the gate electrode 19 a and the gate oxide 17 a differs from the height of the gate electrode 19 b and the gate oxide 17 b, it is possible to simultaneously form the sidewall spacers 20 a and 20 b with different sidewall spacer width.

Taking the processes described above, the gate oxide 17 a with the first thickness for the high withstand voltage MOS transistor and the gate oxide 17 b with the second thickness, which is thinner than the first thickness, for the low withstand voltage MOS transistor are formed on the same semiconductor substrate 11.

Next, predetermined impurities are implanted into the active regions AR of the semiconductor substrate 11 while using the gate electrodes 19 a and 19 b, the sidewall spacers 20 a and 20 b (including the protective film 18 a) and the field oxides 12 as masks, by which a pair of source/drain regions 14 a and 14 b are formed in the active regions AR of each of the high withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1A and the low withstand voltage MOS transistor region 1B in a self-aligning manner, respectively. By these processes, the high withstand voltage MOS transistor and the low withstand voltage MOS transistor are formed on the same semiconductor substrate 11.

Next, by depositing silicon oxide on the semiconductor substrate 11 so that the high withstand voltage MOS transistor and the low withstand voltage MOS transistor on the semiconductor substrate 11 are buried, an interlayer insulation film 27 is formed. Then, contact holes exposing the gate electrodes 19 a and 19 b are formed in the interlayer insulation film 27 using a known photolithographic process and a known etching process, and they are filled up with conductive materials such as tungsten (W). By these processes, contact plugs 28 are formed in the interlayer insulation film 27. Then, metal wirings 29 are formed on the interlayer insulation film 27.

Taking the processes described above, the semiconductor device 1 having the structure as represented by the cross section structure shown in FIG. 1 can be produced.

As described above, according to this embodiment of the present invention, first, a semiconductor substrate (11) having a structure in which a first element formation region (e.g. the active region AR in the high voltage MOS transistor region 1A) and a second element formation region (e.g. the active region AR in the low voltage MOS transistor region 1B) are isolated by a field oxide (12) is prepared. Then, a first insulation film (13) is formed on the semiconductor substrate (11), after which a first film (15) is formed on the first insulation film (13).

Next, the first element formation region is exposed by removing the first insulation film (13) and the first film (15) on the first element formation region. Then, a second insulation film (17A) which is thicker than the first insulation film (13) is formed on the exposed surface of the first element formation region, after which a first conductive film (19A) is formed on the second insulation film (17A). Then, by processing the first conductive film (19A) and the second insulation film (17A), a first gate electrode (19 a) and a first gate oxide (17 a) are formed on the first element formation region.

Next, the second element formation region is exposed by removing the first insulation film (13 a) and the first film (15 a) on the second element formation region. Then, a third insulation film (17B) which is thinner than the second insulation film (17A) is formed on the exposed surface of the second element formation film, after which a second conductive film (19B) is formed on the third insulation film (17B). Then, by processing the second conductive film (19B) and the third insulation film (17B), a second gate electrode (19 b) and a second gate oxide (17 b) are formed on the second element formation region.

In this embodiment, the first insulation film, which is thinner than the second insulation film which is to be processed into the gate oxide for high withstand voltage, is formed immediately above the semiconductor substrate. With this structure, it is no longer necessary to etch a comparatively thick film, such as the gate oxide for high withstand voltage, immediately above the semiconductor substrate, at the time of forming the gate oxide for low withstand voltage. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the field oxide, which is the trench part, from being etched too much, at the time of etching the film immediately above the semiconductor substrate. This means that it is possible to prevent any step from being formed between the active region and the field region. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the gate electrode for high withstand voltage and the gate electrode for low withstand voltage are formed separately, the gate electrodes can be formed in different thicknesses. As a result, sidewall spacers with different widths can be formed on the sides of these electrodes, respectively, at the same time.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of the following claims.

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-72363. The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-72363 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Thus, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

The term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section or portion of a device includes hardware and/or software that is constructed and/or programmed to carry out the desired function.

Moreover, terms that are expressed as “means-plus function” in the claims should include any structure that can be utilized to carry out the function of that portion of the present invention.

The terms of degree such as “substantially,” “about,” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies. 

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: preparing a semiconductor substrate having a structure in which first and second active regions are isolated by an element isolating insulation film; forming a first insulation film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a first film on the first insulation film; exposing the first active region by etching the first insulation film and the first film over the first active region; forming a second insulation film which is thicker than the first insulation film on the exposed first active region; forming a first conductive film on the second insulation film; forming a first gate electrode and a first gate insulation film over the first active region by processing the first conductive film and the second insulation film; exposing the second active region by etching the first insulation film and the first film over the second active region; forming a third insulation film which is thinner than the second insulation film on the exposed second active region; forming a second conductive film on the third insulation film; and forming a second gate electrode and a second gate insulation film over the second active region by processing the second conductive film and the third insulation film.
 2. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: forming sidewall spacers on the sides of the first and second gate electrodes, respectively.
 3. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second and third insulation films are oxide films formed by thermal oxidation treatments.
 4. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an etching rate of the first film under predetermined conditions differs from an etching rate of the first insulation film under the predetermined conditions.
 5. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first insulation film is an oxide film, and the first film is a nitride film.
 6. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: forming a second film on the first film.
 7. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein an etching rate of the second film under predetermined conditions differs from an etching rate of the first film under the predetermined conditions.
 8. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first film is a nitride film, and the second film is an oxide film.
 9. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: forming a fourth insulation film covering the first gate electrode and the first gate insulation film.
 10. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein an etching rate of the fourth insulation film under predetermined conditions differs from an etching rate of the first film under the predetermined conditions.
 11. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the first film is a nitride film, and the fourth insulation film is an oxide film.
 12. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the first insulation film is removed using a fluorinated acid liquid, and the first film is removed using a thermal phosphoric acid liquid.
 13. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the first film is removed using a thermal phosphoric acid liquid, and the second film is removed using a fluorinated acid liquid.
 14. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the first film is removed using a thermal phosphoric acid liquid. 